Grape Seed Oil vs. Olive Oil

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There has been a lot of hype about grape seed oil over the past year. You can use this oil with pretty much anything that you use olive oil for, and it also boasts a slightly higher smoke point than olive oil. We ran out of extra virgin olive oil a few nights ago, so I decided to use the grape seed hidden in the cupboard instead. This led me down the rabbit hole in thinking about which is actually better for you, and if there is really a difference between them? Turns out, there is a rather large difference and a pretty obvious winner.

Grape seed oil is exactly what it's name describes... oil that is from a grape seed. This oil is collected through a hefty mechanical process that uses the grape seeds that the wine industry produces but discards. Until recently, this type of oil was not harvested since grape seeds have very little oil content and the process to get the small amounts of oil out is quite advanced. 

The good thing about grape seed oil is that it is chalk full of vitamin E. Every tablespoon of grape seed oil has about 20% your daily recommended vitamin E. One of the greatest boasts for those is support of grape seed oil is that it has no cholesterol. That's right, grape seed oil does not even have the good kind of cholesterol.

Unfortunately, grape seed oil has extremely high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically omega-6. Grape seed oil actually has more PUFA's than cotton seed oil, corn oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil. This form of PUFA is not the most stable and will easily incite oxidation (especially when cooked). Although one of the great health benefits of PUFA's is the anti-inflammatory effects, grape seed oil's intense industrial production gives it high amounts of free radicals, causing inflammation and damage to our bodies on the cellular level.

Yes, grape seed oil does have high levels of vitamin E, but compared to foods like spinach, it is still quite low. Grape seed oil may be a new fad, but the tried and true extra virgin olive oil is still the best choice.

 

This Week in Workouts

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope that your weekend has been fantastic and that any of those in this Polar Vortex have managed to stay toasty warm around a wonderful fire. This week has been (yet another) yoga-centric week. Thankfully though, it seems like I have finally kicked whatever has been making me feel like complete crap and am now looking forward to a super great next week filled with lots of fun catch-up work and reading and cardio! I have also come to the conclusion that running more than 4-miles on a treadmill is physically impossible since I will die of boredom before 4.1 hits. This means that the next couple of weeks will be filled with outdoor running and explorations of great jogging spots in my area.

Yesterday was also my Mom's birthday, so, happy birthday Mom!

Since this last week was half spent feeling great and half spent not, the week was a bit lighter on the jogging but overflowed in the fun department with about a billion workouts that I have never done before. The best part is that I absolutely loved almost all of them!

Sunday:  My first ever aerial yoga class where I was super stoked about being able to complete all the inversion posses. Whoop Whoop!

Monday: This tabata workout by Pumps and Iron, except, I only did 8 reps of each. If you are not quite sure what tabata is, you can read all about it here.

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 2.5-mile run followed by a bridge workout that I will have to post sometime soon... Ohh, buns so sore!!!

Thursday: The Ballet Bum workout followed by part I and part II of Tara Stiles' Intense Cardio Workout. Funny, but it has been a week or so since doing the ballet bum workout and I forgot how sore it made me! Loved both of these together!!!

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: This Snapguide Workout for the core by Glenn Hole and the 200 Reps Abs Core Power Yoga Vinyasa by Ali K. Both of these were fantastic! Glenn's workout was a great warm-up and a fantastic intro core workout for those new to core workouts. Doing Ali's 200 reps for core after this was fantastic, although I did feel it more in my legs and arms by the end.

How to do Inversions

Recently, inversion poses have been getting the junk worked out of them by yours truly. Honestly, they are not easy for me- not easy at all. Whether it was being sick or just being semi-poor at balancing, I am not sure, but they are nothing like warrior 2.

Fortunately, there are plenty of handy tips and tricks located on that crafty thing we call "internet". Between Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram (surprising, right?), we are sure to get these inversion poses down!

YouTube

YouTube is probably the most helpful tool for learning how to complete new or advanced yoga poses. Almost every yoga instructor out there has made a YouTube video where they demo a pose they are good at and teach us how to do it. Of course, the downside to this is that anyone can make a yoga demo video, so you wan to be sure the instructors are good and know what they are talking about... Especially when it comes to putting weight on the neck and head. These are a few of the most helpful I have found for inversions.

Tara Stiles is founder of Strala Yoga and has yoga retreats throughout the year. She is a fantastic person for those beginning yoga or those wanting to increase there advanced yoga understanding.

This Inversion demo is a full yoga flow by Yoga Journal. They have fantastic instructors that I have been watching for years! This Inversion Essentials yoga flow may be better for those new to yoga.

Pinterest

Of course Pinterest would have some great resources for anything! Just type "headstand" into the search and you will get all kinds of inspiration and instruction! Plus, there will be plenty of step-by-step pictures for those who prefer picture over video. Here is just one example :)

Instagram

Instagram is a great place to get inspired about your fitness goals, but it has some pretty fantastic instruction as well! One of my absolutely favorites and a pretty recent discovery is LauraSykora, a 36-year old mother of two who is seriously good at inversions! Even better though, she gives how-to's with her pics! This is a fantastic way to learn a bit about inversions along with getting some great tips and a bit of inspiration!

Favorite Reads of the Week

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Goodness, there have been some good articles and posts written this week! It seems that one of the good parts about still (still!?!!) being under the weather is that I have been able to read a bunch of interesting things or watch some uselessly good TV. On that note, did you know that PLL has started up again? Well, it has! But, I promise, there has been more swimming in this head than what's going on with Ezra- although I do seriously wonder that as well...

A great and very personal article I read this week was over at Design Love Fest. Bri talked very candidly about guilt, anxiety, and insecurities. I also completely loved the quote!

Next up was Emily Henderson's Lulu and Georgia Furniture Wish List. I did not even know that this shop existed and am so grateful to know about it. They have gorgeous things and are not as expensive as most the shops recommended by designers. Swoon.

I must be having an EH week because this DIY copper and leather table is another article of her's that I cannot get enough of. But, I am considering elongating it to make a bench for the end of our bed. 

This Shape article talks a bit about added and natural sugars. It's pretty interesting and I am still a bit on the fence about it.

This Shape article about 20 great wines under $20 has become a favorite of mine. If you like wine and budgets, it just might be yours as well!

This one from Emily Henderson is one that almost every Mom out there will love.